In the due rev'rence of a facred vow I here engage my words- [He kneels. [Tago kneels. To wrong'd Othello's fervice. Let him command, (37) Nor, to obey, fhall be in me Remorse, What bloody business ever.. Oth. I greet thy love, Not with vain thanks, but with acceptance bounteous, And will upon the inftant put thee to't: Within these three days let me hear thee fay, That Caffio's not alive. Iago. My friend is dead: (38) 'Tis done at your request. (37) But, let her live. -Let bim command, And to obey fhall be in me remorse, What bloody bufinefs ever.] Thus all the old copies, to the manifeft depravation of the Poet's fenfe. Mr. Pope has attempted› an emendation, but with his old luck and dexterity. Not to obey fall be, in me remorfe, &c. I read, with the change only of a fingle letter; i. e. Let your commands be ever fo bloody, remorfe and compaffion fhall not reftrain me from obeying them. Much to the fame tenour lady Macbeth fays; Stop up th' accefs and paffage to remorse, That no compunctious visitings of Nature Ben: (38) Iago. My friend is dead.] i. e. I am fo firmly refolv'd to obey your commands, that you may conclude Caffio already dead, Jobnfon, I remember, in a like circumftance, in his Catiline, has finely exprefs'd the impetuofity of Cetkegus's character; the dialogue is about making away with Cicero. He fall die; Shall was to flowly faid: Is yet too flow: He's dying; that -He's dead. But this, by the bye, is a copy from Seneca the tragedian, in his. Hercules Furens. Lycus Creonti debitas pœnas dabit : Lentum eft, dabit; dat: boc quoque eft lentum, dedit. Oth. Damn her, lewd Minx! oh, damn her, damn Come, go with me apart; I will withdraw [her! To furnish me with fome swift means of death For the fair devil. Now art thou my Lieutenant.Iago. I am your own for ever. [Exeunt. Def. SCENE, another Apartment in the Palace. Enter Desdemona, Emilia, and Clown. O you know, firrah, where Lieutenant Caffio Clown. I dare not fay, he lies any where. Clown. He's a foldier; and for me to fay, a foldier lies, 'tis ftabbing. Def. Go to; where lodges he? Clown. To tell you where he lodges, is to tell you where I lie. Def. Can any thing be made of this? Clown. I know not where he lodges; and for me to devife a lodging, and fay, he lies here, or he lies there, were to lie in mine own throat. Def. Can you enquire him out? and be edified by report ? Clown. I will catechize the world for him? that is, make questions, and bid them answer. (39) Def Seek him, bid him come hither; tell him, I have mov'd my Lord on his behalf, and hope, all will be well. Clown. To do this is within the compafs of man's wit, and therefore I will attempt the doing of it. [Exit Clown. Def. Where should I lose that handkerchief, Æmilia? (39) Clown. I will catechize the world for him; That is, make queftions, and by them answer.] This Clown is a fool to fome purpofe. He was to go feek for one; he fays, he will ask for him, and by his own questions make answer. Without doubt, we fhould read; ▪and bid them answer. i, the world; thofe, whom he questions. Mr. Warburton. Emil. I know not, Madam. Def. Believe me, I had rather have loft my purse Full of Cruzadoes. And but my noble Moor Is true of mind, and made of no fuch basenefs Emil. Is he not jealous? Def. Who, he? I think, the Sun, where he was born, Drew all fuch humours from him. Emil. Look where he comes. Def. I will not leave him now, till Caffio be Call'd to him. How is it with you my Lord? Enter Othello. Oth. Well, my good lady. Oh, hardness to diffemble! How do you, Defdemena? Def. Well, my Lord. Oth. Give me your hand; this hand is moist, my lady. For here's a young and fweating devil here, Def. You may, indeed, fay fo; For 'twas that hand, that gave away my heart. Oth. A liberal hand. The hearts of old, gave hands; (40) But our new heraldry, is hands not hearts. (40) -The hearts of old gave bands; But our new beraldry is bands not hearts.] Defo The fenfe of the fentence here is very clear; but, notwithstanding, I have a fufpicion, that a point of hiftory is obliquely alluded to. Soon after King James the First came to the crown, in order to'raise a fum, he created the new dignity of Baronets: each man was to pay fo much for his title. Amongst their other prerogatives of honour, they had this, viz. an addition to their paternal arms of a HAND, gules, in an efcutcheon argent. And we are not to doubt, but this was the new heraldry hinted at by our Author: and the fatire is 0 6 mot Def. I cannot fpeak of this; come, now your promife. Oth. What promife, chuck? Def. I've fent to bid Caffio come speak with you. Oth. I have a falt and forry Rheum offends me; Lend me thy handkerchief. Def. Here, my Lord. Oth. That, which I gave you. Def. I have it not about me. Oth. Not? Def. No, indeed, my Lord. Oth. That's a fault. That handkerchief (41) Did an Egyptian to my mother give; She moft exquifite, plainly infinuating that fome, then created, had bands, indeed; but no bearts: that is, money to pay for the creation, but no virtue to purchase the bonour. But the finest part of the Poet's addrefs in this allufion, is, the compliment he paid by it to his old mif trefs, Elizabeth. For James's pretence for raifing this fum, by the new creation, was the reduction of Ulfter, and other provinces in Ire land; the memory of which he would perpetuate by this addition to the arms, which is the arms of Ulfter. Now the methods used by Elizabeth in the conqueft of that kingdom were so different from this, (the dignities the conferr'd, being on those who had employ'd their feel, not their gold in that fervice) that nothing could more add to her glory than being compared to her fucceffor in this point of view. Mr. Warburton. (41) That bandkerchief Did an Egyptian to my mother give;] Because this episode of the bandkerchief has been attack'd by fnarlers and buffoon-critics, I am tempted to fubjoin an observation or two in juftification of our Author's conduct. The Poet feems to have been aware of the levity of fuch judges, as should account the giving away an handkerchief too flight a ground for jealousy. He therefore obviates this, upon the very moment of the handkerchief being loft, by making Iago say ; Trifles, light as air, Are, to the jealous, confirmations ftrong Befides this, let us fee how finely the Poet has made his handkerchief of fignificancy and importance. Cinthio Giraldi, from whom he borrowed the incident, only fays, that it was the Moor's gift, upon his wedding, to Defdemona; that it was most curioußy wrought after the Moorish balion, and very dear both to him and his wife ; il quel Pannicello era lavorato alla Morefca fottiliffimamente, & era cariffimo alia Donna & parimente al Mora. But our Author, who wrote in a fuperftitious age, (when pbikres were in vogue for procuring love, and amulets " She was a Charmer, and could almost read The thoughts of people. She told her, while fhe kept it, To lofe't, or giv't away, were fuch perdition, Def. Is't poffible? Oth. 'Tis true; there's magick in the web of it; In her prophetick fury few'd the Work: The worms were hallowed, that did breed the filk; amulets for preferving it) makes his handke chief deriv'd from an Def. |